RCBS - Pro Melt Bummer

[Mal Paso]

I was suffering withdrawals this afternoon, having not cast a boolit in a year and a half so I called RCBS. The Pro Melt 2 I ordered won't happen sooner than the end of February.

And No, the RCBS Lifetime Warranty does not cover fire damage to my Rock Chucker. I asked because Dillan did, I saw one on their tour.

This is the First time RCBS ever bummed me out. :sad:

[jmort]

It is on a slow boat from China
Sorry for your loss

[ShooterAZ]

I feel your pain, that IS a bummer.

[Walter Laich]

nothing worse than the wait

hang in there

[Hardcast416taylor]

I`d be on the look out for an original model Rock Chucker in used condition over the `new and improved` rice eater model.Robert

[jmort]

^^^ Assume you mean
"Pro Melt"
Not "Rock Chucker"

[OeldeWolf]

I remember when that fire occurred. My condolences.

Do not think of it as having to wait. Think of it as a chance for anticipation to build. :)

[DirtyJack]

That's a first. But the wait will be worth it.

[TehHappyGunner]

Sorta in the same boat. Wanting to get started badly. Feel your pain.

No idea why RCBS decided to discontinue the original Pro Melt before the second done hit distributor inventories. From what I can tell they left at least a 6 month gap in their lineup. How many of their potential customers went with a Lyman or Magma or Lee because they didn't want to wait? And how much would that have cost them vs just clearance or rebate eoffers on the old version had they waited and had a little bit of overlap between the two models? Heck, with how anti-China many casters are, they might have been able to keep the price the same while people scrambled to get the last US model before it was gone forever.

So the Lyman 25, the Magma, and the Lee Pro 4 seem to be the only comparable (ish... That's nearly a 10x price span between Lee and Magma) bottom pour pots.

Am I missing one?

[Mal Paso]

Am I missing one?

I don't think so. I was looking at Magma last night and the biggest complaint was the distribution plate under the pour valve clogging. I don't need to fill 2 holes at a time and the single hole plate looks like a trouble spot I don't need at $600.

I have 6" steel pipe and found a company that will build a 6.5" dia 1800W 120V band heater for $160. I have a MIG Welder again. My Oxy-Acetylene will take $1000 to replace but I can borrow a rig. Insurance doesn't pay spit.

I had 2 Lee 4-20s with built in thermocouples and PIDs I assembled myself before the fire so I know that part. If you attach the Thermocouple to the outside of the pot like Magma you get "Thermal Drain" and have to recalibrate the PID to match with whatever inaccuracy that brings over the range. Much better to Silver Braze the thermocouple through the bottom of the pot.

Has anyone out there built their own bottom pour pot??? Have some tips?

[blikseme300]

I don't think so. I was looking at Magma last night and the biggest complaint was the distribution plate under the pour valve clogging. I don't need to fill 2 holes at a time and the single hole plate looks like a trouble spot I don't need at $600.

I have 6" steel pipe and found a company that will build a 6.5" dia 1800W 120V band heater for $160. I have a MIG Welder again. My Oxy-Acetylene will take $1000 to replace but I can borrow a rig. Insurance doesn't pay spit.

I had 2 Lee 4-20s with built in thermocouples and PIDs I assembled myself before the fire so I know that part. If you attach the Thermocouple to the outside of the pot like Magma you get "Thermal Drain" and have to recalibrate the PID to match with whatever inaccuracy that brings over the range. Much better to Silver Braze the thermocouple through the bottom of the pot.

Has anyone out there built their own bottom pour pot??? Have some tips?

This is how I built mine: http://www.bliksemdonder.com/hobbies/cast-boolits/mother-of-all-melters/

[fcvan]

I saw where a guy made a bottom pour, but I think it was more of a smelter to make ingots for a shot dripper. I can't help but think the valve assembly would be too hard to construct by drilling and tapping a dutch oven for a gas torch nozzle (opened up for greater flow), countersinking a hole for the operating rod, and a bracket/guide for the vertical operating rod ground to mate with the countersunk hole. Propane burner, heat shield near the spigot. At least that has been my mental idea for a shop project. If a cast iron dutch oven is too big, maybe 4" steel pipe, 6" outer pipe wall, that sort of thing.

[Mal Paso]

This is how I built mine: http://www.bliksemdonder.com/hobbies/cast-boolits/mother-of-all-melters/

Very Cool!!! Thank You! That is exactly the size I was thinking of.

I looked on ebay for a band heater but found nothing close to 6". I can have a custom 120V 1800 Watt heater built for $165 which is 75% of a 20 amp circuit and all of a 15 amp plug.

Would you have an extra Valve and Spout for sale or trade? I am short on machine tools right now. LOL

[leadman]

The old Pro Melt furnaces have a lifetime warranty so you could find a good used one and just add on the pid unit. There are parts available for them as I replaced the thermostat, switch, and pot on mine. The pot spout had been damaged by a previous owner so I paid for that, rest was warranty.
I built a separate pid unit and did braze a fitting to the bottom of my pot to attach the thermocouple to. I used a 1/4" T-nut that I rethreaded to 6mm.
When my thermostat went bad I ordered a replacement from RCBS but they changed brands and both I received did not maintain the pot temperature very well. I called and spoke with the gentleman that runs the section where the pots are made and explained to him what was happening and told him how I made a pid unit and attached it to the bottom of the pot. He asked me many questions and it makes me curious if I helped him make the decision to check out the pid units.

[Mal Paso]

Used Pro Melts are selling for New List Price, $350. I saw 2 on ebay but they are gone now. Good Info though, thank you. I'll put an ad in swapping and selling.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I had a melt down disaster with my RCBS Pro Melt furnace. I loaded it with some ingots and left the room to do some rooting around in the garage for reloading items. I returned 25 minutes later with a lovely alloy sculpture from the spout to the floor. It also loaded up the alloy mold table, the MiHec 32 HBWC 4 banger brass mold, the bottom member of the furnace and the wooden table on which it sat.

I was able to get loose the stuff on the bottom member and the wooden table but the mess above is a lost cause. It thought I could cut it off with a wood chisel. No Way! Also hacksaw would not get the job done. Bought a propane torch and 2 cans of propane gas. It need much more heat. Ordered a Mapp gas torch head and 2 cans of Mapp gas. Both in transit as this is typed.

My boolit casting is as frozen as the alloy stuck on my beloved RCBS. I expect to have to take one of my two Lee 4-20's and put them into the fray in the meantime.

I did get a bunch of casting done and then played with PC'ing a lot of cast boolits. Most need sizing as the coating adds about .001 in girth to each boolit coated. They are nice looking though. I just don't know if all the extra work, time and expense is worth it.

I have a Star luber with all the goodies including an air system and heater with all the dies I need. It produces what I need for accurate shooting in one step. The PC process is convoluted at best and requires the boolit to be handled at least 9 extra steps over a simple lube and size with the Star.

On the plus side they come out looking and feeling like Rock Stars. It is supposed to cut back on cleaning my dies and guns and produce less smoke when fired. I just have a feeling that the extra effort, time and expense is not worth it in the long run. I have over 3 lbs of PC powder to use up and when that is gone I will make another evaluation at that time.

[quasi]

if you are a strong man you can just take an electric oven heater element and bend it around a pipe a little smaller than your pipe size for the furnace body. They do spring back a bit.

[jcren]

+1. New oven elements are flexible until heated.

[Mal Paso]

if you are a strong man you can just take an electric oven heater element and bend it around a pipe a little smaller than your pipe size for the furnace body. They do spring back a bit.


+1. New oven elements are flexible until heated.

Good info, Thanks!

I should have a pot or two on the way to me that need work. I replaced the oxy-acetylene rig this week so I can braze, weld and heat big stuff again. The first project is turning the old oxygen tank into a bell. I cut the bottom off and am deciding on a clapper. It's got good tone. It should, the new one cost ....... too much. MIG is great for structural but I am better with oxy-acetylene for detail welding.

[Mal Paso]

Oxygen tank bell with Ridgid pipe wrench clapper.

[Yodogsandman]

Have you considered the Lyman Mag 25?

[lightman]

Your bell is cool!

[Mal Paso]

Have you considered the Lyman Mag 25?

Short term I have an original Pro Melt coming that needs a heater, maybe thermostat as the element shorted. Long term will be a custom pot of some sort now that I can weld again. I'll silver braze a thermocouple into the bottom of the Pro Melt anyway.

The Lyman Mag 25 looks like proprietary electronics from the pictures and the pour spout is less visible. And after owning a bunch of Lyman products I thought RCBS might be better.


Your bell is cool!

Thanks! My grandfathers Ridgid pipe wrench is the clapper. It's retired now too! Fire takes the temper out and weakens the steel. I switched to aluminum wrenches years ago so I'll see more of it now that it's Art. LOL

[KenT7021]

We will probably find that the new RCBS Pro Melt is made in the same factory as the Mag 25.

[jmort]

^^^^ No doubt. Welcome to China

[2011redrider]

Afraid that is true! Called them about a mold I sent back about 2-3 weeks ago that was casting small @ 407-408 for a 41 Mag and out of round.
They said the pots are in the Port of Oakland waiting on customs release and will be trucked to Oroville for final testing prior to release. They claim by the middle of March, but, they have missed a bunch of forecasts so far. Can't wait to retire my Lee leaker! And won't buy another Lyman product other than older molds.